Some recent discoveries and indulgences

[neuroticdog]

Michael - Where do these sit with you(?):

Memoire Magnetique Vol I
Les Soliel...
La Brulure...
Rock

These are all on Tidal.

Hi Frank,

All 4 of these were released posthumously. "Rock" and "Memoire Magnetique Vol 1" on the Transversales Disques label stand apart from his wider catalog as both of these seem to be him messing around in the studio with a synth of some sort. This same label released a Francois Bayle archival session as well. I wouldn't say the Parm's are essential from this label and I definitely would not suggest starting a Parm binge with either of these. That being said, "Memoire..." is pretty darn good so, if you can grab that one, do it, it definitely has the Parm vibe to it, while "Rock" seemed almost like a semi-failed experiement.

"Les Soleils de l'lle de Paques/La Brulure de Mille Soleils" was another posthumous release from 2018 and to be honest I haven't revisited it since I got it. I do remember my initial reception to it was not that enthusiastic but to be fair, it probably deserves to be revisited. Again, if you can get it cheap, or stream it somehow, I'd be curious to know what you think but compared to his catalog that was released while he was alive, this one didn't cut it for me if I remember correctly.

Because of this thread, I started (which I hope will be) a major re-assesment of his works. Time permitting, I'll post some thoughts about certain pieces that I think stand out (which will be hard for me, since I have a very biased bro-love relationship with his music).

best
Michael

[Udi Koomran]

another discovery
Hans Reichel: Shanghaied on Tor Road

[Udi Koomran]

I loved this Tomas Di Muzio track since I first heard it on the RER Quarterly

https://thomasdimuzio.bandcamp.com/track/inception

[neuroticdog]

I mentioned earlier that I was doing a sort of re-assesment of Parmegiani's work. My source for this is the beyond great 12 cd box that INA GRM put out several years ago. It's billed as his complete works but it's really not given the posthumous releases over the last few years. Regardless, one could probably start and stop here and be satisfied with a lifetime of listening and re-listening. By the way, this exercise is really difficult for me because having to pick what I think is "essential" listening from him within a catalog of, for the most part, all essential is...well, an exercise in futility. I'll most likely run out of steam in posting stuff like this after a few when I fully recognize the futility of it all and just say fuck it...listen to it all. Anyway, here is my first choice...but first...

Here is the box on the electrocd website that I'm using as my source:

https://electrocd.com/en/album/2544/...icale_en_12_CD

Right out of the chute, his first piece from 1963 called "Violostries" is a stone cold masterpiece of sonic manipulation. Here is an excerpt from a review on the Dusted magazine site about one of the re-issues of this piece.

"The title track was his first major work. In 1963, the violinist Devy Erlih commissioned Parmegiani to make some music to accompany a dance performance; it took him over a year to realize the taped elements of the 16:39 minute-long piece. All of his contributions were sourced from violin sounds, which he sped up, slowed down, filtered, diced and stitched together into an alien accompanist to Erlih’s virtuoso fiddling, whose dramatic plucks and bowed slashes inhabit a realm of high flickers, low expulsions and warped re-shapings of the violin’s familiar sounds. At the time, it represented a challenge to listeners to give up their preconceived notions of any instrument’s limitations; over a half century later, it remains an amazingly detailed sequence of sound events."

The piece was assembled the old fashion way with razor blade and tape. it must have taken him forever to build it up. Tod Dockstader worked in a similar manner early in his career too. It's split up into 3 parts but best listened to in its entirety all at once. I'll post a youtube but hearing it through a computers speakers DOES NOT do it service. It's all about the mixage, and Paremegiani is a master.



best
Michael

[neuroticdog]

Another Parm classic in my book. Also from Disc 1 on the box that I mentioned above ^^^

The piece is "Jazzex". Similar (in concept) to "Violostries"..."Jazzex" deconstructs an avant garde jazz quartet while "Violostries" does the same with a (Classcal???) violinist. The fact that both this piece and the one above is from disc 1 of the box is probably telling that I might as well say the whole damm box is essential (which it is)...but, Ill try to cull.

Here is a quote from the Francois Couture from the allmusic.com site that does a great job at describing it.

"Clocking in at 17 minutes, "JazzEx" is the result of a collaboration between the composer and a free jazz quartet consisting of Jean-Louis Chautemps (sax), Bernard Vitet (trumpet), Gilbert Rovère (double bass) and Charles Saudrais (drums). The tape part was derived from recordings of the quartet that were manipulated in very creative ways, and the musicians interact with this part in real time, improvising their way through the piece. The result was resolutely ahead of its time, relegating most every other "psychedelic" experiment of the time to childhood noodling. The piece is fierce, complex, driving and relentless. It still sounds fresh to this day."

I like his observation of the "psychedelic-ness", especially since I never really thought of it that way. But when I went back to listen to it again I can definitely agree that it is indeed, a lysergic listen. So, for anyone who is not really a free jazz, avant garde jazz fan, I don't think you should be put off from listening to this. The reason I say that is because I think the "real" reason you should listen (and this is not a denigration in any way to the Jazz musicians involved in this quartet) is because of the (sometimes subtle, sometimes not subtle) manipulations that BP did sonically with electronic tape.

Usual disclaimers about listening to this through a casual Youtube link, but here it is:



Best
Michael

[chalkpie]

best
Michael

Loved this, cheers Michael. Even via headphones on YT it sounded great. On a the real hifi it must be mind-blowing. I am definitely more interested in textures/colors lately - maybe you can throw ambient in there as well, but just letting music wash over me. Maybe it's due to the being stressed out/anxious with all of the bullshit happening on the globe. Less 'thinking' perhaps and just letting my mind travel along for the journey. I also did Debussy Preludes Book I last night on CD...Paul Jacpbs on Nonesuch. Gorgeous recording (ADD). https://www.nonesuch.com/journal/npr...ing-2009-09-29

[neuroticdog]

[QUOTE=chalkpie;991648]maybe you can throw ambient in there as well

I'll do nothing of the sort young man...do I look like a pussy to you

In fact, before I lose whatever audience is left here (by my calculations, one...MAYBE two) I'm going to get into more of the what I consider the meat and potatoes of his work. Fortunately, this main course is a massive helping of high protein, low fat and ultra high fiber that will make you soil your jodhpurs for days on end. These next 3 could very well be considered "prog friendly" so, if you were unimpressed so far, you may want to gorge a little on these.

This first one is called "Du Pop a l'Ane" from 1969. It's been called a "collage of pop and classical music (three decades before the vogue of the mash-up)." You'll hear things you will probably recognize in there as well as some truly bent sonics. Check it out...



The second one is called "Et Apres" from 1973. So, I already posted Parms work with a violin and a free jazz quartet, so why the hell not with a...

bandoneon player.

This one gets pretty moody in spots and, as in "Du Pop..." above, he's playing more with what sounds like sequenced keyboard motifs, just like those Berliner guyz. Yes, more prog cred.

https://youtu.be/mDRXp8nK3JU

And, finally, the best for last. This one is in my top 5 from him and it's called "La Roue Ferris" from 1971. Frankie, I gots your ambient right here...k big guy?

So, when I revisited this one a few days ago, I was thinkin to myself...

...say, this reminds me of what it must be like visiting a fun fair 50 years ago but the problem is, all the cotton candy is moldy and rotten to the core, the mirrors in the house of mirrors are sooted black and greasy, the tilt o' whirl is rigged to fly off its rails and whatever stray clowns you run into will try and gut you with a rusted shiv.

It's dark and beautiful!

https://youtu.be/x8AQGOL5cRk

best
Michael

[Udi Koomran]

maybe you can throw ambient in there as well, but just letting music wash over me. Maybe it's due to the being stressed out/anxious with all of the bullshit happening on the globe. Less 'thinking' perhaps and just letting my mind

Have you ever explored the first Urban Sax
These are some of my favorite albums ever

https://youtu.be/9DqKQWpX_8E

[Udi Koomran]

Frankie here is another “ambient” fav

https://youtu.be/yye87QfPsWA

[walt]

[QUOTE=neuroticdog;991920]

maybe you can throw ambient in there as well

I'll do nothing of the sort young man...do I look like a pussy to you

In fact, before I lose whatever audience is left here (by my calculations, one...MAYBE two) I'm going to get into more of the what I consider the meat and potatoes of his work. Fortunately, this main course is a massive helping of high protein, low fat and ultra high fiber that will make you soil your jodhpurs for days on end. These next 3 could very well be considered "prog friendly" so, if you were unimpressed so far, you may want to gorge a little on these.

This first one is called "Du Pop a l'Ane" from 1969. It's been called a "collage of pop and classical music (three decades before the vogue of the mash-up)." You'll hear things you will probably recognize in there as well as some truly bent sonics. Check it out...



The second one is called "Et Apres" from 1973. So, I already posted Parms work with a violin and a free jazz quartet, so why the hell not with a...

bandoneon player.

This one gets pretty moody in spots and, as in "Du Pop..." above, he's playing more with what sounds like sequenced keyboard motifs, just like those Berliner guyz. Yes, more prog cred.

https://youtu.be/mDRXp8nK3JU

And, finally, the best for last. This one is in my top 5 from him and it's called "La Roue Ferris" from 1971. Frankie, I gots your ambient right here...k big guy?

So, when I revisited this one a few days ago, I was thinkin to myself...

...say, this reminds me of what it must be like visiting a fun fair 50 years ago but the problem is, all the cotton candy is moldy and rotten to the core, the mirrors in the house of mirrors are sooted black and greasy, the tilt o' whirl is rigged to fly off its rails and whatever stray clowns you run into will try and gut you with a rusted shiv.

It's dark and beautiful!

https://youtu.be/x8AQGOL5cRk

best
Michael

That is fantastic(La Roue Ferris).I wish it was on my 12 cd Parmegiani box.Everything else is wonderful, too

[neuroticdog]

That is fantastic(La Roue Ferris).I wish it was on my 12 cd Parmegiani box.Everything else is wonderful, too[/QUOTE]

Walt...it is, disc 3. I'm using that box as my source for all these comments

best
Michael

[Yehuda Kotton]

Planet of the apes is a long-time favorite,
I remember once closing my eyes at the movie because I didn't want the movie to interfere with the wonderful music.

[walt]

That is fantastic(La Roue Ferris).I wish it was on my 12 cd Parmegiani box.Everything else is wonderful, too

Walt...it is, disc 3. I'm using that box as my source for all these comments

best
Michael[/QUOTE]

You're right.I looked once this morning, didn't notice it and groaned.So glad it's there.Thanks.

[walt]

Michael( and anyone/everyone else).This is music composed/realized by Maggi Payne in the mid 80's on an Apple II and samplers.This was recently re-issued.The album is titled Ahh-Ahh.I think it's great.YMMV.

[chalkpie]

Frankie here is another “ambient” fav

https://youtu.be/yye87QfPsWA

Cool, I'll try to give it the attention it deserves tonight or tomorrow. Sounds great from a 15-sec sample

[chalkpie]

[QUOTE=neuroticdog;991920]

This first one is called "Du Pop a l'Ane" from 1969. It's been called a "collage of pop and classical music (three decades before the vogue of the mash-up)." You'll hear things you will probably recognize in there as well as some truly bent sonics. Check it out...

best
Michael

More stuff to Chex...thanks Mikey. I'll get back....

[Udi Koomran]

worth your attention and please listen with a good hifi system if you have one

[chalkpie]

Video not available.

[walt]

Here ya go.The cd is well worth checking out.The other tracks are also on YT.

[Udi Koomran]

Video not available.

Mmmm
Try this

https://youtu.be/mPCMcl8XpEk

[neuroticdog]

So being the spiteful schmuck that I am, I'm going to subject readers of this thread to more Parmegiani dialog.

Stop here if you just had enough of it...

...but if you still care, what follows is some verbal diarrhea about some of his larger scale pieces starting with "De Natura Sonorum".

Here is a paragraph from a longer article in The Wire about the piece:

"Parmegiani's masterpiece remains his 1975 work De Natura Sonorum. It took a rigorous, almost scientific approach to sound, associating, in 12 brief movements, different instrumental, electronic and concrete sounds. A simple enough exercise on the face of it, yet in Parmegiani's hands, it's carefully layered textures took on a magical, musical life of their own. As its title suggests, De Natura Sonorum was an attempt to investigate the nature of sound by opposing natural and artificial sounds, and it marked a turning point in Parmeglanl's approach to sound: "In De Natura Sonorum I distanced myself from the power of sound, from what I call the power of Orpheus. Orpheus charmed the plants and animals With his lyre, and in the pieces I composed prior to De Natura Sonorum I was under the spell of the sounds I created. Sounds that evolved and that I found satisfying and I left it at that. People always used to to compliment me on the beauty of my sounds in my first pieces! But beautiful sounds don't necessarily constitute interesting beautiful or interesting pieces of music. Whereas in De Natura Sonorum I set myself many more constraints: I placed the sounds as you do letters, one after the other, so as to create forms and sequences," he says, adding almost apologetically, "That piece has since become a classic of electroacoustlc music."

Since Udi brought it up a few weeks ago I have listened to it 3 times after not hearing it for about 5-7 years. Each attentive listening in the sequence added things of value I did not pick up on the previous time. This "building up of the benefits" from listen to listen was really revelatory to me. I've since moved on to another of his large scale pieces called "L'Enfer" which is a high point for me in his catalog which I'll say a few words about in another post.

So with that being said, I was admittedly to harsh in my initial comments about the work. In a word, it's brilliant. For something realized in 1975, in retrospect I feel confident in saying that many of the sounds, moods, aural landscapes and imaginary worlds this piece brings out remain today, completely groundbreaking and highly original. I always feel a twinge of hypocrisy when I use the word "original" in the context of Acousmatic music since the very basis of the Acousmatic process is taking sounds from the real world and creating something "other" with them. If the sounds exist, pilfering them is certainly not "original", but it's what the masters (like Parmegiani, Bayle, Ferrari and Schaeffer and Henry before them) do with these pilfered sounds after capturing them is what counts.

In the case of "De Natura Sonorum", Parmegiani succeeded in realizing a sound world like no others. Any fan of modern so called "ambient music" would do themselves a great disservice by not listening to this piece. Within it, you will most likely hear the genesis of where many of the modern sound jockeys germinated their ideas...either directly or indirectly from an immediate predecessor perhaps. Hell, maybe even from some sort of subconscious osmosis event. I guess what I'm trying to awkwardly say here is...this piece was groundbreaking, pure and simple.

Some tips when listening to it (I know, very subjective and very personal):

1-Commit to putting aside a full hour, no piecemeal here, it'll completely ruin the flow which is extremely organic
2-Needs to be heard on a better than decent sound delivery system
3-Try and be mentally "with it". If you are feeling distracted about other things, hold off
4-Listening volume is a personal decision but as far as I'm concerned, I like to listen to it as loud as possible, but be prepared for the occasional jarring sound
5-Pay attention to what I call the "micro sounds". Little sound easter eggs are scattered all over this piece that are just fascinating
6-This is some serious shit. I mean that. If you don't dig it...fine, but go into it at least with the respect that it deserves
7-Congratulate yourself if you get through it. You are a true pioneer...yay!
8-Congratulate yourself even more if you want to move on and hear other Acousmatic works. There is ALOT!!!!




Best
Michael

[neuroticdog]

Michael( and anyone/everyone else).This is music composed/realized by Maggi Payne in the mid 80's on an Apple II and samplers.This was recently re-issued.The album is titled Ahh-Ahh.I think it's grest.YMMV.

This is really nice and unknown to me!

Thanks for unearthing it, and further cements my opinion that indeed...the 80's were the coolest!

best
Michael

[chalkpie]

Mike - last night I threw the headphones on and started spinning Parmigiano Reggiano's De Natura Sonorum. I drifted off but I made it about halfway. Sick fuckin shit...I loved it! Ill do the other half tonight. This music must be heard in the dark to really grasp it me thinks. His concepts and sonic displays of color and texture are incredible. Thanks bro.

[chalkpie]

ps..I want this on vinyl now.

[neuroticdog]

Mike - last night I threw the headphones on and started spinning Parmigiano Reggiano's De Natura Sonorum. I drifted off but I made it about halfway. Sick fuckin shit...I loved it! Ill do the other half tonight. This music must be heard in the dark to really grasp it me thinks. His concepts and sonic displays of color and texture are incredible. Thanks bro.

Hi Frank,

I really appreciate you making the effort on this one and responding! Your comment about listening in the dark is a good one. 99% of the time I'm interacting with Acousmatic music with headphones/earbuds in bed before I drift off to sleep. When I find myself losing concentration, it's usually a sign that I should kill it and get some shut eye. There are plenty of times though that I'm so riveted by this stuff that my attention span is 100% engaged...and that's when I get the most out of it. I got's to believe that Acousmatic music, in general, is so sonically nuanced that my lizard brain can only handle so much.

So you incentivized me to write a little about another of BP's large scale works called L'Enfer (Hell) from 1971. This is a 61 minute extravaganza that, in and of itself would/should be enough to blow the psyche of even the most well balanced individuals among us (that is definitely not me) but, NO...it's actually part of a much larger scale work done in collaboration with one Francoise Bayle (another Acousmatic giant). In its entirety it's called "Divine Comedie" and of course it's based on Dante Alighieri's massive poem. Bayle's contribution is called "Purgatoire" and, in its entirety it's a veritable cornucopia of Acousmatic madness. There was a release of both pieces together but I have no idea what the availability is. (https://www.discogs.com/Parmegiani-B...release/231672)

Both pieces should also be available as stand alones. "L'Enfer" is on the Parm box and "Purgatoire" is on a companion Bayle box put out by INA GRM a while ago. The Bayle box is even bigger than the Parm box and maybe one day I'll attempt to put my thoughts together on that monster. But, since right now it's all Parmegiani, all the time...lets talk about "L'Enfer".

In the name of balance, here is a short, not so enthusiastic review of the piece from Piero Scaruffi. (I think his final comment is hilarious!): (Bolding is mine although I'm not sure if it's going to come though)

The double-disc Divine Comedie (Magison, 1995) contains a disc with Parmegiani's L'Enfer (1971), another peak of his oeuvre, and Paradis (1974); and a disc for Francois Bayle's music. L'Enfer, that includes a poet reading Dante, is, in turn, made of a number of sub-suites. After the overture of La Decouverte De L'Ombre, whose drones display the threatening quality of a swarm of wasps, The five-movement Les Portes Ou 1ere Contrainte recites Dante (in French) and complements the words with an electronic "soundtrack". The four-movement L'Impouvoir Ou 2eme Contrainte creates a musical background that is much more profound psychological and pathological, almost a sonic representation of a nervous breakdown. The bombastic two-movement Mal Mort Ou 3eme Contrainte is a melodramatic peak. The four-movement Les Monstres Ou 4eme Contrainte toys again with silence, but it still manages to unleash some extreme hissing (Metamorphoses) and rumbling (Cerberes). The three-movement Les Abysses Ou 5eme Contrainte metamorphes from the apoalyptic winds of Le Styx to the flickering mirage of Le Reve Du Reve. The three-movement Ou 7eme Contrainte consists of three narrative vignettes: the shrieks, blows and gallops of Bataille Des Dragons, the galactic flames Le Noeud Ardent, a the starry silence of Le Crepuscule De L'Aube. The "descriptive" use of electronic sounds is not Parmegiani's forte. Too often this sounds like the high-brow equivalent of a Disney cartoon.

So, first of all, I don't speak French, and there is a fair amount of French spoken word going on here taken from Dante's poem. This is not a distraction to me (although I'm certain that if I understood what he was saying, I would get more out of the piece). The spoken word is spread out over the length of the piece and it's in small one, maybe two minute bursts. As I said, it doesn't interfere at all with my enjoyment and, at times it's quite interesting just to hear the human voice (which is sometimes processed in Parmegiani'esqe ways) organically co-existing with the otherwise un-hinged sounds that are going on around it.

I don't even know where to begin describing the "strangeness" of this piece. Anything I say won't be coherent and probably the best I can offer is this short list of impressions at various points throughout:

1-Wasp attack opening. This has been done by many contemporary Drone artists but, imho, never reaching the extreme of "L'Enfer"
2-Weird, modulated chanting that, again...I've never heard the likes of in a recorded medium
3-Ultra-intense alien shrieks. The first time they manifest my two dogs obviously heard them bleeding out of the earbuds and promptly left the room
4-Flapping of wings, not of a healthy bird in flight, but of something that is most likely bleeding out lying almost dead on cold hard ground
5-Stretched and manipulated sounds of the snufflings of dogs-probably of the rabid variety
6-cold airless drones of one struggling to maintain conscience in a pitch black void
7-The sound of multitudes of damned souls yelling/screaming/keening upon realization of their eternal torment

...and on, and on, and on...

...Disney...yeah right!

The weirdness of the piece is orders of magnitude above anything else I've heard in the electronic sound world. And this was 1971!

Easily in my top 5 of his catalog.

Here is the entire "Divine Comedie" (which includes the Bayle portion). The first 61 minutes or so is "L'Enfer" and it has labeled segmentation which helps if you only want to listen to the BP part.



Best
Michael